I met Darshana Khiani years ago as a fellow children’s book blogger. Her blog, Flowering Minds, has wonderful author interviews and children’s book reviews, but it is my go-to for South Asian KidLit books. Darshana might have been the first KidLit blogger who decided to venture into writing children’s books and personally inspired me to try as well. I’ve watched her author journey blossom over the past years, and am absolutely thrilled to be celebrating her newest picture book, How To Wear a Sari today!
How to Wear a Sari by Darshana Khiani, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
My debut picture book HOW TO WEAR A SARI, a funny light-hearted book about a girl wanting to be seen as older, releases June 22, 2021.
Darshana has rounded up her favorite South Asian picture books that celebrate joy. We are also giving away a copy of How To Wear a Sari. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.
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When I started out in children’s writing, I frequently read this blog and the many lists to find out the latest and greatest books. Now to have it come full circle where I am recommending books is pure joy.
Thank you for having me. I love the quantity and diverse array of books coming out from publishers over the past few years especially in picture books. I do hope the market continues along this trajectory.
When I first started tracking South Asian Kidlit books in 2016 there were hardly any picture books with South Asian characters. Now there are at least twenty a year. Today, I am bringing forth a list of books showing South Asian American children having joy for their culture and the traditions of their family.
South Asian-American Picture Books of Joy
Hair Twins by Raakhee Mirchandani, illustrated by Holly Hatem
A beautiful story about taking joy and pride in one’s family and cultural traditions. A young girl regales her and her papa’s daily hair ritual – from brushing to braiding while doing “hip cheers”. A short author’s note at the end provides information on Sikhism and the tradition of not cutting one’s hair. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed, illustrated by Anoosha Syed
Bilal invites his non-South Asian friends to help make his favorite dish daal, a South Asian lentil stew. They mix yellow chana daal, spices, ginger, garlic, and more. Be sure to have some cooked daal on hand since this book will leave you feeling hungry or make the recipe at the end of the book. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Priya Dreams of Marigolds and Masala by Meenal Patel
A lovely story about taking joy in carrying traditions across cultures and generations. Priya loves hearing her ba’s stories of India from the swish-swish of the saris to the steaming cup of chai. When ba misses the marigolds in winter, Priya and her friends make a marigold garland to cheer her up. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Amira’s Picture Day by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Fahmida Azim
I enjoyed seeing Amira’s heartfelt joy in celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid. Amira loves the putting on of mehndi, preparing goody bags to pass out at the masjid, and eating the yummy treats. But there is part of her that wishes she didn’t have to miss Picture Day at school. Luckily, it all works out in the end. Backmatter includes more information on Eid and a glossary. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Fatima’s Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Fatima and her family go camping for the first time. While there are plenty of challenges from putting up the tent to building a fire, they pull together and make it a memorable vacation. I love the little bits that make the camping trip uniquely theirs from the Bollywood singing in the car, eating samosas, to the fact that Mama is excellent at catching lizards. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar, illustrated by Alea Marley
A sweet book about a young boy, Harpreet, who expresses his feelings by the color of his patka – pink for celebrating, red for needing courage, and yellow for spreading cheer. But when the family moves to a new city, Harpreet wears his white patka since he is feeling shy. A touching story about the universal experience of having to move to a new place and making it home. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
How to Wear a Sari by Darshana Khiani, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
A young, spirited girl is tired of hearing she’s “too young” from her family. She set’s out to prove she can do “older” things too by wearing one of her mother’s saris. There are some mishaps along the way leading to one big “oops”. The book ends on a note of family acceptance. It’s a book about trying new things, messing up, and fitting in anyway. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
How To Wear A Sari GIVEAWAY!
We are also giving away a copy of How To Wear a Sari. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.
Darshana Khiani is a second-generation Indian American who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and a furry pooch. She is an author, engineer, and a South Asian Kidlit Blogger. She is the author of HOW TO WEAR A SARI (illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, published by Versify, 2021). Find Darshana online at her website or on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @darshanakhiani.
p.s. Related posts:
Top 10: Best South Asian American Children’s Books (ages 2-14)
40+ Lists of Asian American Books for Kids
Diverse Middle Grade Novels in Verse
Children’s Books for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Cover Reveal of My Newest Book: Asian Pacific American Heroes!
10 Middle Grade Books about Immigrant Families
Picture Books set in Asia or about Asian-Americans
Celebrating Asian Americans for #WomensHistoryMonth
9 Asian Cinderella Picture Books including the Original
Are Slant Eyes Racist? Portraying Asians in Children’s Books
Racism in Children’s Books: Asian Slant Eyes
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BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Two beautiful books are A Gift for Amma: Market Day in India and The Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art.
There are many to choose from. I love HOME IS IN BETWEEN and A GIFT FOR AMMA.
I’ve been seeing a lot about How to Wear a Sari. I’m also fond of marigolds, and didn’t realize they had cultural significance in India. So now I’ve got two new books for my to-read list.
Looks like a great selection of books! Always looking for new additions for our little school library!
I’m a school librarian and many of my students are South Asian. I only have a couple of these books in my library. I can’t wait to order the others. It’s so important for students to see themselves and their culture in our library!
I love the sibling relationship in Sumo Joe.